Chelsea on the rocks

The Chelsea Hotel in Lower Manhattan is one of the last standing icons of New York City’s sleazy, dangerous, passionate and electrifying past. Over the years, it has housed many of previous generations’ great creative minds, such as Bob Dylan, Milos Forman, Dee Dee Ramone, and Andy Warhol. It is also the place where Nancy Spungen was stabbed to death by Sid Vicious. Despite its legendary status, the hotel is now in danger of being transformed into a chic boutique hotel.

Abel Ferrara has always been fascinated by the underbelly of New York City, as seen in his early exploitation film Driller Killer as well as in bigger productions like Bad Lieutenant. This time, he literally checks himself into the Chelsea Hotel, and takes a journey through the mythologies of this notorious bohemian melting pot. Through interviews, archive-footage and re-enacted events, Chelsea on the Rocks becomes a vibrant document, portraying a cultural dungeon of desperate souls.

Premiere Status
Nordic Premiere: Cast
Vito Acconcia, Jamie Burke, R. Crumb, Giancarlo Esposito, Milos Forman, Adam Goldberg, Ethan Hawke, Gaby Hoffman, Dennis Hopper, Grace Jones, Bijou Phillips: Producer
Jen Gatien, David Wasserman: Script
Chist Zois: Cinematography
David Hausen, Ken Kelsch: Music
Robert Burger: Spoken language
English